CAMBRIDGE — A stunning mural of the 158 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan is gaining attention overseas.

Portraits of Honour and its artist, Dave Sopha of Cambridge, have been invited to the Juno Beach Centre museum in France this spring — but the original artwork is at risk of staying behind.

That’s because Sopha and Kin Canada, a service organization that hosts the 10-foot by 50-foot mural at its offices in Cambridge, have yet to secure enough funds to cover the cost of insuring and shipping the artwork to France.

“I find it hard to ask (for funds) from anybody,” Sopha admitted, but said there may be a few corporate sponsors willing to help.

“Anybody I can get on my side to help will be graciously appreciated.”

Sopha is already planning to keep his trip brief because of finances and personal commitments. Although invited to stay 158 days, he will only stay for about a month through April.

The artist said he has received a great deal of community support by raising funds at a recent dinner gala and silent auction, he said.

“This portrait really belongs to the whole country and it has seen with Dave so much of the country,” said MacKay who previously met with Sopha and studied the mural while it was on its cross-Canada tour in 2011.

“This is a very living, vibrant tribute to the men and women who wear the uniform today but also I think it’s symbolic of generations of service in Canada,” he said.

While MacKay discussed his support for the idea of touring the mural abroad — and particularly the potential of taking it to Afghanistan — he did not specify if government funding would back such initiatives.

“I think it would be appropriate and very significant to have this portrait go to Afghanistan and I’m going to explore that further with Dave,” he said.

Sopha said he is also planning another cross-country tour in 2014 when the rest of the troops currently in Afghanistan come home.

A travelling museum featuring the accomplishments of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan would accompany the mural in the tour.

Photos of schools that are accessible to girls, dams that improve communities’ water supplies and new hospitals which were developed with the support of Canadian troops would be included with the museum, Sopha said.

And among these plans, the initial painting that has taken Sopha thousands of hours and countless dollars to create still has more work in store.

Once the remaining troops return in 2014, Sopha intends to add portraits of Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang and Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry who were killed while working in Afghanistan.

“I believe they were doing a job in Afghanistan for the Canadian people and they should be honoured,” he said.

The remaining touches of angle wings framing the sides of the mural are also ongoing.

Despite the long-term personal investment the painting has required, Sopha remains dedicated to its completion. More importantly, he hopes it can continue to be a tool to teach the public about the importance of honouring Canadian veterans.

“My biggest goal is to keep the awareness for our military,” he said. “The fact that they’re over there doing a job for Canadians and doing a job right, I think we should be very proud of our military.”